Lots of insects

Walking in the labyrinth this morning, there are lots of bumble bees feeding on the salvia, Bee Balm, and Purple Milkweed.  As well as a variety of other insects. 

I tried to do an image search on the yellow/black/white insect in this picture, but was unable to find anything to match.  The search engine kept trying to match the color of the milkweed flower.

So, I was able to find the red beetle on the next picture.  It is a Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, or in common language, the Red Milkweed Beetle.  This is a new one for me.

Tetraopes tetrophthalmus

Flowering Maple?

Abutilon 'Linda Vista Peach'

While actually belonging to the mallow family, and in no way related to maples, the common name for this charmer is Flowering Maple.  The leaves look somewhat like a maple leaf to the eye, but of course maples don't flower like this.

We bought this at the National Arboretum plant sale, having a different variety for the last three years.  They delight in the sun, but need to be kept moist.  But the best part is that when taken into the house in September, and kept in a sunny window, they will continue to bloom throughout the winter.

Great Mullein Volunteer

Verbascum thapsis

It is a weed, and should be pulled out of the ground before it can produce thousands of seeds that will persist for decades in the soil.  For thousands of years it has been used for skin, throat and breathing ailments, as well as an astringent and emollient.  This is only the second mullein in our 16 years that has lived long enough to produce a flowering stalk.  It will be allowed to stay.

Growing outside my office window, the flower candelabra is visible just a couple of feet away, at the edge of my view of the Bay.  I look forward to watching it continue to reach up to the sun and sky.   

Blooming Little Gem

Magnolia grandfolia ‘Little Gem’

Magnolia flowers, for all of their size and thick substantial petals, are surprisingly short lived before turning brown.  Yet if it is possible to let go of the idea that they should be white, the brown is quite beautiful by itself.  A few months ago I was walking behind the Smithsonian Castle.  Along the edge of the path are large Star Magnolias which had been blooming very early in the warm spring weather.  However, overnight the temperatures had dropped below freezing.  Brilliant white flowers had turned brown.  At first thinking it was a horrible loss, a close look revealed a carmelized brown still translucent with layers of shadows. edges outlined by dark lines.  As they are this afternoon, on the first day of June.

May Flowers

Last week I attended a contemplative photography workshop at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York.  It was a time to reflect on when and why I take pictures with a group that ended up being much more serious about their craft than I am.  In contrast I also visited with my nephew Neal, who told me that he enjoys seeing my pictures.

I know others enjoy the pictures and have a sense of connection with this small plot of soil that overlooks the Chesapeake Bay.  Yet I want to keep it simpler to produce, so going forward I expect to choose only one, or maybe two pictures, along with producing posts more frequently. 

The photo above is in what used to be the heather bed.  As there were fewer and fewer living heather plants, it is now the lavender bed.  So for those who want the specific names and varieties, here goes. Here are two Lavandula angustifolia, ‘Munstead’ and 'Hidcote Blue.'  The dark pink spikes behind them on the left is Penstemon x Mexicali ‘Red Rocks Penstemon’ while the flat headed pink flowers on the right are Spiraea x bumalda 'Goldflame.'  In the front right corner and behind the Penstemon you can see the leaves of Senna marilandica or Maryland senna, which will be blooming in August.

Snowy Morning

The last several weeks I have been focusing on long deferred maintenance.  With the volunteering then full-time chaplain residency position over the last three years, the limited amount of time that was available focused on the necessary tasks.  Things that were important to the life and well being of plants were done.  Many other tasks. such as cutting out and removing invasive plants and removing old, dead wood had to wait.

This last weekend was spent pruning back the overly ambitious holly between the house and the Bay, to open up views from the house.  Then cutting off two sumac trees hanging on the side of the ravine which would have ripped out a large amount of soil if they fell over.  My shoulders, arms and legs are still sore from that work.

Then this morning offered the delight of a couple of inches of soft, wet snow.  It is perfect for showing off the winter bones of the garden, the evergreens, the trunks and branches, and the remaining berries with patches of color. 

I am particularly excited that the Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' still has its berries.  The last two years a deer has chewed off all of the berries early in the fall.  Curiously, the squirrels which have eaten almost all the berries in the large evergreen hollies back in November did not climb up into this holly to devour these, which are much larger and I think more delicious looking.  There is no accounting for taste in the wild creatures.

It is well above freezing, and the snow was mixed with rain, so I was surprised to see this single drop of ice hanging from the trunk of the Heronswood Globe Katsura in the middle of the labyrinth.  It hangs like a tear drop, waiting until it is warm enough to fall down onto the ground.

Then my final shot of the sun coming through the clouds behind the snow covered branches of the same Katsura tree.  As I write this just two hours later, the snow is gone and the branches are bare.  The moment was fleeting.

April Morning

We spent many hours yesterday doing spring cleaning throughout the labyrinth area.  Much of my time was spent digging out the zoysia grass that had had invaded the garden beds by putting rhizomes over the plastic edging.  

This ground orchid, Bletilla ochracea 'Chinese Butterfly,' had been living under the Japanese maple until last spring.  While it and several others looked great there, no one ever saw them other than me.  So I moved them under the Katsura tree in the center of the labyrinth, behind the bench.  They seem very happy, especially since they have not been ravaged by the deer.  Hopefully they will flourish and multiply.

The sun is especially intense this morning, maybe trying to make up for not coming out yesterday.  I noticed a nice contrast of color and textures that led to the next shot. In the center is a volunteer lamb's ear.  We have quite a few show up each spring, and next week a dozen or more will be dug up and potted to go to the church Mayfest for sale. 

Can you identify the rest of the plants?  There is Acanthus Spinosus on the left side, and two yellow leaved plants on the right and top.  On the ground with the round, almost circular leaves is Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea, or Golden Creeping Jenny.  The twiggy stems with the narrow oval shaped leaves is of Caryopteris Incana 'Sunshine Blue.'

 And right in front of the lambs ear there appears to be the top of a weed of unknown name or origin.  I didn't see that when I took the picture, or I would have removed it!